THRISSUR BROTHERS AT SIVAGAMI PETHACHI-4/12/16

[CRama]

Brahma Gana Sabha is conducting music concerts in three venues this season- their flagship venue- Sivagami Pethachi Hall in Alwarpet, Arkay and also P.S High School. The festival was inaugurated on 3/12/16 in Sivagami Pethachi and this is the first concert after the inaugural brief concert of Mysore Nagraj and Dr. Manjunath. The concert of Thrissur Bros was scheduled to start at 6.P.M but started with a slight delay, at 6.15 P.M. Ramkumar Mohan apologised for the delay and told that they will extend the time of the concert to compensate for the late start. Accompanists.
L.Ramakrishnan-Violin
Thrissur Mohan-Mridangam
Venkatasubramaniam-Ghatam.

List of songs.
• Mahaganapathim-Nata-MD (S)
• Kamalaptakula-Brindavanasaranga-T (S)
• Janani Ninuvina-Reetigowla-SS (R)
• Sreepathe-Nagaswarali- T (S)
• Narayana-Sudhadhanyasi- PD
• Sree Kanthimathim-Hemavati (Desi Simharavam)- MD (R,N,S)
• Tani
• Manasa sancharare-Sama –SB
• Tiruvotriyur Tyagarajan- Athana-Padam- Ghanam Krishna Iyer
• Ramanai Bhajithal-Maund- PS
• Mangala slokam

The concert had a spright start with Mahaganapathim and the cracker swarams appended to it brought the required verve in the first song itself. Kamalaptakula also was decorated with a few rounds of imaginative swaras. Reetigowla was the first ragam of the day. The raga alapana shared by both the brothers brought out the whole picture of the ragam in a span of 5 minutes. But the alapana was restrained upto Shadjam and did not go further which was a dampener for me. The Kriti was rendered in a leisurely pace with the authentic patantharam. Sreepathey was the filler song and the large dose of rapid swaras brought loud cheer from the audience.

After a sedate Narayana, Hemavati was taken up for elaboration. Gosh! What an alapana. I have never heard such an elaborate portrayal of this ragam. The raga revealed itself at the opening sangatis itself saving us the trouble of scratching our heads. The edifice of the raga was built up step by step with the choicest phrases interspersed with suitable gamakams and liberal brighas. The raga was shared by both the brothers and it took a whole 15 minutes of intense classism and style and vidwat. The monumental kriti of MD was presented well with an elaborate neraval at Suka sownakaadi. I was scared whether they will take up neraval at pallavi as is the current trend. No. They saved me. The neraval and swaras were very elaborate traversing three ocatves with consummate ease and joy. The swaras were vyavaharam oriented, but never robbed the aesthetics. The entire song excluding tani took 50 minutes. The Tiruvotriyur Thyagarajan was a pleasant surprise and it was rendered in the most suitable kalapramanam and polish.

Now, it was 8.35 P.M. Since the tani was a brief one- for 7 minutes only, I was expecting a pallavi. Ramkumar Mohan asked whether he can go with a pallavi or songs. Upto what time the concert can go on. Somebody shouted upto 10 P.M. I shouted for pallavi and he was about to start. Then the Sabha Secretary Mr. Balasubramaniam rushed to the stage and told something. Now RKM announced, “due to some emergency, we are concluding the concert with a bhajan. We will meet at some other place and I definitely sing pallavi there.” We were all perplexed. When the musicians are ready to extend, why the sabha officials should stop. When we were coming out, I heard the Sabha official telling that CM is in critical condition. So it is better to reach home safely and immediately. Hence he intervened. We thanked him and rushed home waiting for another concert of the brothers for a grand pallavi.

L.Ramakrishnan nicely followed the brothers with his vivid imagination, vidwat and experience. Trissur Mohan as usual, supported his sons and lifted the concert to a higher plane. Venkatasubramaniam on the Ghatam joined Mohan in embellishing the concert.
One observation that the brothers should pay attention. When one brother is singing alapana or neraval, the other is staying in the sruti. That gives a good muse. But care should be taken that the person singing the sruti should be in a lower volume. Otherwise it looks like both of them singing differently and gives a disturbance to the audience.

On the day it was Ranjani Gayathri and Malladi Btrothers in NGS, Anbhishek in BVB. But still there was a very good crowd for this concert. That speaks for the popularity of the brothers among the rasikas. The concert concluded at 8.45 P.M. An excellent concert for two and half hours.

[rajeshnat]

Now, it was 8.35 P.M. Since the tani was a brief one- for 7 minutes only, I was expecting a pallavi. Ramkumar Mohan asked whether he can go with a pallavi or songs. Upto what time the concert can go on. Somebody shouted upto 10 P.M. I shouted for pallavi and he was about to start. Then the Sabha Secretary Mr. Balasubramaniam rushed to the stage and told something. Now RKM announced, “due to some emergency, we are concluding the concert with a bhajan. We will meet at some other place and I definitely sing pallavi there.” We were all perplexed. When the musicians are ready to extend, why the sabha officials should stop. When we were coming out, I heard the Sabha official telling that CM is in critical condition. So it is better to reach home safely and immediately. Hence he intervened. We thanked him and rushed home waiting for another concert of the brothers for a grand pallavi.

I am glad this trend of asking pallavi is catching on and also some one shouts it can go on till 10pm. But it is understandable that concert was restricted considering the situation.

[kvchellappa]

When I read 'CM is in critical condition', as my mind was fully soaked in the music, there was a wrong association of idea in my mind.